WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1987
31
ACAN WORKING PARTY RECOMMENDATIONS ACCEPTED
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS ACCEPTED ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WORKING PARTY ON THE CONTROL OF PSYCHOTROPIC AND NON-OPIATE NARCOTIC SUBSTANCES ESTABLISHED BY THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS (ACAN) RELEVANT TO MANDRAX AND HAD IMPLEMENTED THAT OR WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DOING SO, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON DAVID JEAFFRESON, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON CHIU HIN-KWONG REGARDING MANDRAX SEIZED IN HONG KONG, MR JEAFFRESON SAID THAT BOTH THE ACAN AND THE GOVERNMENT VIEWED WITH GREAT CONCERN THE PROBLEM OF THE ABUSE OF MANDRAX AND WOULD CONTINUE TO LOOK HARD AT OTHER POSSIBLE WAYS OF DEALING WITH IT.
HE SAID THAT 24 422 MANDRAX TABLETS WERE SEIZED IN 1983, 10 649 MANDRAX TABLETS AND 152 GRAMS OF MAT HAQUALONE POWDER (WHICH IS A POWDER USED TO MAKE MANDRAX TABLETS) WERE SEIZED IN 1984. IN 1985, 15 666 TABLETS WERE SEIZED.
THE SEIZURES IN 1986 INCREASED TO 259 168 TABLETS AND 33.4 KILOGRAMS OF POWDER MAINLY DUE TO TWO SEIZURES OF LARGE AMOUNTS.
+TO CURB THE SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING OF MANDRAX, THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE ARE TAKING THE NECESSARY LAW ENFORCEMENT MEASURES,+ MR JEAFFRESON SAID.
+THE QUANTITIES OF MANDRAX SEIZED IN RECENT YEARS, PARTICULARLY IN 1986, ARE A MANIFESTATION OF THE EFFORTS OF BOTH TO REDUCE THE ILLICIT SUPPLY IN HONG KONG.+
THE WORKING PARTY HAD BEEN WATCHING CLOSELY THE INCREASE
IN THE ABUSE OF MANDRAX SINCE 1983, HE ADDED.
THE GOVERNMENT HAD IMPLEMENTED THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE WORKING GROUP AS ENDORSED BY ACANT
* THE SENDING OF RETURNS TO ACAN OF THE IMPORT, EXPORT,
MANUFACTURE, STOCK HOLDING AND CONSUMPTION TRENDS OF SUCH NON-OPIATE DRUGS OF ABUSE:
* THE PROVISION OF DRUG IDENTIFICATION CHARTS AND KITS
CONTAINING SAMPLES OF MANDRAX TO POLICE AND CUSTOMS OFFICERS
* AMENDMENTS TO THE REPORT FORM OF THE CENTRAL REGISTRY OF
DRUG ABUSE TO INCLUDE MANDRAX AS ONE OF THE DRUGS THAT COULD BE ABUSED BY PERSONS REPORTED TO THE REGISTRY1
* TRAINING FOR SOCIAL WORKERS.
/IN DECEMBER